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The Inca Road to
Machu Picchu
An Ancient Power
By Ted Rose
Perched
precariously on the saddle of a dramatic
Andean ridge in Peru, I gaze out at the
sea of mountainous peaks. It's a perfect
time: the afternoon clouds are rolling
back, revealing an extraordinary
panorama. Laid out below me are ancient
pieces of rock, cracked and weathered,
set in an organized jumble. The terraced
land looks like stratified rock. An
imposing granite tower lords over it all.
And below, 3,000 feet straight down, the
Urubamba River curls around the rock,
its Class V rapids pounding so hard I
can hear them from above.
Above the
ruins: Get an
eagle's-eye view from the Inca Trail
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Welcome to
Machu Picchu, the ancient Incan
ruins that make up South
America's best-known
archaeological site. While the
pyramids of Giza lie on a flat
desert floor and Angkor Wat is
spread out on a jungle carpet,
Machu Picchu is blanketed by
thick Andean jungle and
surrounded by peaks. It requires
a bit more perspective and a bit
more effort to reach. In fact,
it's perhaps the rainforest that
prevented the Spanish
Conquistadors from discovering
Machu Picchu and kept it a
secret. |
How to avoid the crowds? Spend the
night there.
Despite efforts to
study Machu Picchu, it has a hazy
provenance. American Hiram Bingham, who
found the ruins in 1911, originally
thought little of them. Later, he ginned
up an argument that he had discovered
Vilacamba, the legendary last stronghold
of Incas on the run from the Spanish
Conquistadors, but other archeologists
squashed that theory. Some believe Machu
Picchu was a secret Inca capital; others
claim it was a religious retreat.
Archaeologists presume the complex was
built in the 15th century. While stones
testify to the building prowess of the
Incas and the crop terraces reflect
their agricultural skill, the mighty
Inca civilization, which rose and fell
within a short 100 years, had its flaws.
First and foremost, the Incas never
invented writing. For that reason, if no
other, Machu Picchu may always remain a
mystery.
And that mystery
draws hordes of visitors. There are
numerous ways to get to Peru's number-one
tourist attraction, including efficient
and comfortable trips by helicopter or
train. I chose a third option: hiking
there on a reconstructed stone path
called the Inca Trail. When all of the
traffic converges at Machu Picchu, the
crowds can get overwhelming. The key to
avoiding those crowds? Spend the night
on the high cliff: In the early morning
and late evening, I had the site almost
to myself.
And that's when I felt Machu Picchu's
power.>>>>>
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